JR Smith will likely start in Anthony’s place, and says his teammate “could barely walk or talk” after his back started acting up Monday night in Houston.

Per the NY Daily News:

“I think he’s probably doubtful for tonight, just making some progress, but not enough I think to be in a game, so it will be day-to-day I’m sure, but probably not tonight,” Derek Fisher said of Anthony. “I checked in with him yesterday, but he’s not in a lot of comfort, so really just trying to rest up and get himself better and we’ll be out here tonight and we’ll see if we can get a game without him.”

“I think on one hand you just remind them that it’s a team game and that no one player can win a game for you or lose a game for you,” Fisher said. “It requires everyone. But then on the second hand, when a key player’s down, guys who want more opportunities, want more minutes, want more chances to help the team, those opportunities are there and we have some guys that’ll have chances to step up and take advantage of the opportunity.”

To that end, Smith also had said on Tuesday that he expects Amar’e Stoudemire to be “the mule” in terms of carrying more of the scoring load in Anthony’s absence. Stoudemire, whose playing time has been closely monitored to keep his balky knees fresh for the entire season, is averaging 11.7 points on 54.5 percent shooting with 7.4 rebounds in just 23.1 minutes over 14 appearances.